BTSC 2011 Community Mock Draft Pick No. 47 -- St. Louis Rams Select Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina

If we keep this pace up, I think we may just have a shot at getting through two complete rounds in this year's BTSC Community Mock Draft. Great stuff by all. The latest addition comes from Sarge_32, who based on his name, I'm assuming most be a serviceman of some variety. If so, many thanks for the honorable sacrifice, as well as finding a free moment to join our pre-Draft fun. Next up: the Oakland Raiders, represented by Tomlin's Puffy Jacket. - Michael B. -

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With Julio Jones available to the Rams in round 1, which filled their biggest need in the draft, the Rams brain trust can now look at the BPA that fills a need, especially DT, LB, OL, or DB. I was set to take Rahim Moore, the UCLA safety, who would have been an immediate fill in for the departed OJ Atogwe. Alas, the 49ers got him at 45, so on to plan b. I do not see any value at OLB or DB at this point, with the run of CB's taken this round, and the weak OLB class. Offensive line offers some value, and Spagnuolo and company, given this scenario, could well select a Marcus Cannon or Ben Ijilana to slide into a guard slot and help both the protection of their new franchise quarterback while providing more holes for the team's best player, Steven Jackson.

However, Spags was and is a defensive minded coach, and is still looking for more pieces to create a defense as disruptive as the Giants unit he left a few years back. With the uninspiring duo of Fred Robbins and Greg Gibson manning the DT positions, some fresh blood is in order for the interior of the Rams line. For me it came down to two possible choices. The potential safe pick is Stephen Paea from Oregon State, a rock solid firebrand of a DT with perhaps the best motor in the class. He does however come with some injury concerns, coming off a torn meniscus during Senior Bowl prep. And while Paea was an immoveable force against the run, his pass rushing technique leaves a bit to be desired.

At this point in the draft, you always want to look for talent that has dropped in to your lap, and dissect the reasons for the drop to determine whether or not the pick fits for your organization. In this mock, that guy is Marvin Austin, DT, UNC. Coming off a suspension for the whole 2010 season due to an agent scandal, Marvin needed to prove his personality and mental makeup, as there is little doubt about his physical skill. It is apparently going well for him, as many mocks are now listing him as a first rounder, and Michael Lombardi recently blogged about him here http://blogs.nfl.com/2011/04/13/lombardi-austin-has-top-10-talent/ . A look at his first three years at UNC show a ton of productivity, while not missing any time due to injury. The Rams are building a winner, and may be leery of some players with character issues, but the feeling here is that Austin learned a hard lesson and will come out a better person because of it. The suspension sounds like the dose of humility Marvin needed to overcome a bit of a me first attitude. This is a guy that would start from day 1, and his presence would instantly free up Chris Long and James Laurinaitas to do even more damage.

So with the 47th pick of the BTSC mock draft, the Rams select Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina.

BTSC 2011 Community Mock Draft Selections:

1. Carolina Panthers -- Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
2. Denver Broncos -- Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
3. Buffalo Bills -- Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M
4. Cincinnati Bengals -- Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
5. Arizona Cardinals -- Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
6. Cleveland Browns -- 'The Snow Cone Machine' A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
7. San Francisco 49ers -- Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
8. Tennessee Titans -- Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
9. Dallas Cowboys -- Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
10. Washington Redskins -- Robert Quinn, DE/OLB, North Carolina
11. Houston Texans -- Aldon Smith, DE/OLB, Missouri
12. Minnesota Vikings -- Tyron Smith, OT, USC
13. Detroit Lions -- JJ Watt, DE, Wisconsin
14. St. Louis Rams -- Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
15. Miami Dolphons -- Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
16. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Brooks Reed , DE, Arizona
17. New England Patriots -- Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
18. San Diego Chargers -- Ryan Kerrigan, DE/OLB, Purdue
19. New York Giants -- Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
21. Kansas City Chiefs -- Martez Wilson, LB, Illinois
22. Indianapolis Colts -- Cameron Jordan, DL, California
23. Philadelphia Eagles -- Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
24. New Orleans Saints -- Justin Houston, DE/OLB, Georgia
25. Seattle Seahawks -- Jake Locker, QB, Washington
26. Baltimore Ravens -- Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland
27. Atlanta Falcons -- Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
28. New England Patriots -- Mike Pouncey, OG, Florida
29. Chicago Bears --Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State
30. New York Jets -- Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple
31. Pittsburgh Steelers -- Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
32. Green Bay Packers -- Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor

ROUND 2

1. New England Patriots -- Cameron Hayward, DE, Ohio State (33rd overall)
2. Buffalo Bills -- Kyle Rudolph, TE, Notre Dame (34th overall)
3. Cincinnati Bengals -- Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State (35th overall)
4. Denver Broncos -- Mikel LeShoure, RB, Illinois (36th overall)
5. Cleveland Browns -- Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois (37th overall)
6. Arizona Cardinals -- Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada (38th overall)
7. Tennessee Titans -- Andy Dalton, QB, Texas Christian (39th overall)
8. Dallas Cowboys -- Danny Watkins, OG, Baylor (40th overall)
9. Washington Redskins -- Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh (41st overall)
10. Houston Texans -- Aaron Williams, CB, Texas (42nd overall)
11. Minnesota Vikings -- Brandon Harris, CB, Miami (43rd overall)
12. Detroit Lions -- Bruce Carter, OLB, North Carolina (44th overall)
13. San Francisco 49ers -- Rahim Moore, FS, UCLA (45th overall)
14. Denver Broncos -- Benjamin Ijalana, OL, Villanova (46th overall)